The dimly lit room was almost pitch-black. None of the lights were turned on, but it was still faintly illuminated by the silvery moonlight that seeped in through the windows, enabling its occupants to make out the furnishings in the room.The furnishings here were very simple, even a bit crude, hardly befitting the richest man in Ahn City.But this was nowhere near the most shocking thing here for Yvonne. She had no idea what those heavy chains were doing there on the ground… There were dry crusty blood stains on the chains that looked thick and heavy and incredibly frightening. Under the dim moonlight, they looked like huge snakes slithering in the dark room, making the place look cold and savage.But even the chains were still not the most frightening thing here for Yvonne because nothing shocked her more than the sight of the enormous cage in the center of the room—a cage large enough to enclose an adult man inside.And Weston sat right there. The door of the cage was open, a
“If I meet her now, do you know what I would do to her?”He would lose all self-control. He would ignore everything and just chain her to himself so she would stay by his side forever. But he was resolved not to commit the same mistakes again, so all he could do was lock himself in this cage. No one would have thought that Weston Ford would end up this way. Yet he had done so much for Stella in the past, and Lucas should have noticed much earlier that this man was truly beyond repair, and he should have foreseen that he would do something like this.Yvonne, deeply shaken and appalled by what she had just seen, was suddenly thrown into a dilemma—On the one hand, she was determined not to let Stella see Weston as it would do Stella a lot of good the further she stayed away from this man. Besides, she had been living her best life without him so far, always carefree and at ease. She would spend her days with Elias and Emma, being much happier than she had ever been. Her life had o
The next thing she knew, she was faced with a scene so frightening that she almost blacked out—Stella stood there in a daze, staring at the enormous cage in front of her. She could hardly believe her own eyes. Had she accidentally stepped into the wrong room?The room that she was in right now was both dark and spacious, and in the center of the room was a cage, inside of which sat the man she had not seen in many days—Weston.Her eyes narrowed in on the man wearing a white shirt who was just sitting there, hunched up like a cornered wild beast. His whole body was riddled with cuts and wounds. The sight disturbed her so much that she could not even react. She had to step away for a while and rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was actually just dreaming.She just dared not believe that what she was seeing was true. In fact, the wounds on Weston’s body were so fresh that he was still bleeding. His blood seeped through his white shirt and slowly dripped down the floor.But the man
Stella took a deep breath. Her hands trembled a little as she ran her fingers down his hair and onto the cuts and wounds on his body. After a while, she withdrew her hand and asked him, “Why did you have to do this?”Weston did not reply. So Stella mercilessly rubbed her hand against the wound on his body, making it hurt so much for Weston that he drew in a sharp breath and jolted his head up to look at her—Now Stella finally had a good look at his face. With the faint light from the lamp, she noticed that he had gotten much thinner than the last time she saw him. Unshaven, he looked so haggard that it seemed he must’ve put himself through a lot without getting much rest.But despite all this, that striking face of his still looked as handsome as ever. In fact, at a moment when he was at his most vulnerable, he looked unusually fragile and delicate, which brought out the softer side of his attractive face.Stella gently caressed his face. At that moment, she had absolutely no
Stella let him hug her for a long time. She could very clearly feel his chest rising and falling violently as he held her in his arms.Finally, she patted his back and told him, “You’re covered in blood. Let’s get you cleaned up for now, and then we’ll talk.”Only then did Weston let her go.Stella got up, turned away from him, and walked out of the cage.“Take off the rest yourself,” she said. “I’ll wait for you here.”But to her surprise, the next moment, she heard him shut the cage door. She turned around and saw Weston already locking himself up inside again.He then slumped down onto the floor powerlessly before covering his eyes with his hands, refusing to even look at her.“What are you doing?” she asked, frowning as she walked up to him.“You should leave now,” he told her. “Forget about me.”His voice was gruff and croaky as if he was exerting great self-control in every word he spoke. His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed his saliva. “Leave while I still have som
Stella had to force herself to ignore the way Weston was looking at her as she gently cleaned the bloody stains on his body.When she reached his arm, she paused, and her brows furrowed before asking him, “How did you hurt yourself this badly?”The cut was so deep that she could almost see his bone. His skin and flesh were torn apart, leaving a bleeding gash that was now covered by a clump of black clotted blood.Even the sight of it made chills run down her spine.“You’re such a fool…” she muttered, tears welling up in her eyes. She was now so choked up that she did not know what else to say.Weston suddenly became flustered when he noticed her eyes reddening, thinking that he must have done something to upset her.“Don’t cry,” he said. “I’m actually fine.”He then raised his hand awkwardly, trying to wipe away her tears.Stella turned away, not wanting to look at him.“How can you say that you’re fine when you got yourself into such a sorry state?”Her words made him purse
After a while, Stella got up and said, “If there’s nothing else, then I’m leaving now.”She had just taken a few steps when Weston stood up so violently that he staggered on his feet. The noise shocked her, making her turn around, only to see him in an agitated state.“What’s wrong?” she asked.Weston bit his tongue and remained silent, all the while staring fixedly at her.He stood there silently for a long time before finally shaking his head and telling her, “Nothing. Be careful on your way home.”He then backed into the cage again.The sight triggered conflicted feelings in Stella’s heart. She pursed her lips and, without saying anything, turned around and left.But just as she stepped out of the door, she was shocked by another loud noise coming from behind her.She held her breath, telling herself not to look back and never to pity him again. She had helped him enough, and she did not have to do anything else for him. Anything that happened to him from then on was not her
Stella walked to the cage and took the key to unlock them for him. “You really are a troublesome man. Are all these chains necessary? One should be more than sufficient. I don’t think you can break free from such a big one.”Weston did not say anything, while Stella only mumbled to herself.“Do you know what will happen next?” he reminded her out of the blue.She paused for a moment, but then she still unlocked the shackles from him and said to him, “I told you, I believe you won’t hurt me. Since I chose to stay, that means I chose to trust you.”His eyes suddenly became red, and he looked sideways.She sighed. After unchaining him, she helped him stand up.The two sat down on the edge of the bed. Weston had cleaned up his wounds earlier and did not smell so strong of blood anymore.She said, “Do you sleep inside or outside?”He did not expect that she would ask him such a question one day as if they were a normal couple.After a while, he answered with a hoarse voice. “Whiche
Stella had rarely ever woken up before him.He had always been terrifyingly strong, but their lovemaking last night must have consumed a lot of his energy, leaving him so tired that he was still sound asleep.She stared at him and suddenly felt like doing something naughty. She pinched his nose and held her fingers there, trying to suffocate him. Unsurprisingly, he soon knitted his handsome brows and quickly woke up.He was surprised to see her mesmerizing eyes as soon as he woke up, which made him pause. He then took her hand into his and kissed it again and again.“Are you okay?” he asked with concern, remembering how wildly he ravaged her last night.She had only been willing to be intimate with him because she was under the influence of a drug, yet he had taken advantage of her and had his way with her over and over again last night.Stella did not speak. Seeing her like that made his expressions turn a little colder. He fell silent for a long time before he got up and sl
The moment Stella saw him, she flew into his arms and clambered onto his body. She kissed him again and again, trying to search for his breath so she could explore his body even deeper. All she wanted was to let him extinguish the fire burning inside her.Half an hour had passed, and the effect of the drug on her body was its strongest now.Weston swallowed his saliva. Without any hesitation, he pinned her against the bathroom mirror and kissed her vehemently on her face, her shoulders, then her neck.Stella could not stop herself from letting out loud moans. The sounds she produced only drove Weston wilder. Even the corners of his eyes began to turn red now.Luckily, there was still a thread of reason in his mind. He pushed her away and, while panting heavily, asked her, “Who am I, Stella?”But Stella’s mind was occupied with her primal urges. She ignored his question and grabbed his shirt collar, saying, “Let’s do it…” The sight of her filled Weston with a desire to just give
Weston paused, then simply replied, “Okay.”When he saw her changing into a pair of high heels, he followed her around and asked, “Where are you going?”“Oh, to a private concert.”Then she added, “If you’re going to spend the night here tonight, then please take care of Elias and Emma. But if you have to leave, I’ll ask Roger to come over instead.”“Don’t worry,” he said. “Just go out and enjoy yourself. I’ll be at home and take good care of the kids.”Stella paused suddenly, feeling inexplicably weird about what Weston had just said. It sounded like she was forcing him to stay at home and take care of the kids while she went out to have fun without a care in the world. She turned around to look at Weston, feeling like he was acting like a poor neglected housewife.She shook her head and tried to shake this terrifying thought out of her mind.When they arrived at the concert, Hayden offered his arm to her like a gentleman. They then walked into the private concert together, w
Stella’s words rendered Weston speechless. She was right. He had been the one to agree to let Stella date other people, so he must seem like a fool saying all those things to her.He withdrew his hands and forced himself to calm down a little. “I have no intention to stand in your way,” he told Stella. “I was only worried about Elias and Emma. Since they’re also here, I think you need to take their feelings into consideration.”The children could sense the strained atmosphere between the adults, so they just waited patiently on the couch with Roger, occasionally poking their heads out to look at their parents.Seeing his kids like that, Weston slowly added, “I’m only here to see the kids, so both of you can go ahead with your date.”Stella said nothing and just took Hayden’s hand and left.When they got downstairs, Hayden glanced at her and asked, “Are you sure you want to just leave him like that?”“I don’t know,” Stella massaged the point between her brows. “I’m not sure wh
Hayden Quirk arrived half an hour earlier than Stella did on their first date.“You’re much earlier than I expected,” he joked as Stella walked in.Stella was actually on time, but she still felt a little guilty when she saw him already waiting for her when she arrived.“The traffic is terrible today,” she said.“Don’t worry about it,” Hayden said, handing her the menu. “Mr. Ford expected me to wait for you for at least an hour.”“I seriously don’t know what you guys are up to,” she grumbled, exasperated, “but I hope it will at least be over soon. Just don’t drag it out and cause me any trouble.”She ordered a few dishes, then handed the menu back to him. Hayden took it from her, ordered a few more signature dishes that the restaurant was popular for, then looked at Stella with a faint smile.“Did you think this is all just a joke?” he asked.“What else could it be?”“I am serious about this,” he told her, his voice suddenly turning grave. “Since even Mr. Ford agreed that we s
Weston raised his eyebrows at Ben’s words. “But he’s divorced. He has an ex-wife.”“What’s wrong with having an ex-wife?”Ben found Weston’s comment strange. “This man has good qualities. Upon investigation, he has a very good personality too. He was an active member during college. He also has an amazingly beautiful resume. It’s normal that a man like him has been married before… Besides, hasn’t Ms. Sealey been married before herself? She even has two children.”Weston’s expression turned cold at once. “Are you discriminating against her?”“I’m not.”Weston said, “Or do you think she can only find a divorced man for her second marriage?”Ben panicked. “I wouldn’t dare!”With Weston’s ridiculous amount of nitpicking, they could find no one that would match Stella.Hayden sat beside and quietly reviewed Weston’s latest psychological health report. As he turned the page, he suddenly said, “I’m actually a little interested in Ms. Sealey.”Hayden laughed a little and turned to Wes
Stella opened her eyes and shot Weston a cold look. Then, she turned her head the other way.Weston did not touch her again. He knew she was probably angry with him, so he stayed silent.A few moments later, he reminded her, “Don’t be angry. That man is unreliable.”Stella propped her chin in her palm. “And what does that have to do with you?”Weston pursed his lips, setting his jaw in a tight line. He said, “I’ve promised to stop pestering you. It’ll be a promise. I’m fine with seeing you with another man, but at least find someone who makes me feel at ease.”“Why do I need your approval when I’m just looking for a date?” Stella found his words funny. “You’re just my ex-husband. Don’t you think you care too much?”Weston rubbed his brow, and his voice suddenly went cold. “If you don’t want me to keep pestering you like I just did, maybe you should listen to me.”Stella questioned, “Are you threatening me?”“No. I’m suggesting.”Stella was lost for words. Then, she suddenly
Stella froze for a moment when she heard the voice. When she turned around, she saw that Weston had appeared behind her at some point.Weston stared at the man behind Stella with a cold gaze and an icy aura around him. Weston had always emitted a strong aura around him. Anyone who saw him would immediately be terrified because of his intimidating aura.The man froze for a moment at Weston’s sudden appearance. He took a step back and quickly steadied himself before greeting Weston, “Mr. Ford.”He still had the same calm and gentle look. “I’m sending Miss Cicily back.”“I know. Don’t ever show up in front of her again,” Weston told him. “You don’t have to send her back. Stay away from her.”It would be a little inappropriate for the man to act a fool at Weston’s straightforwardness, so he tugged at his collar and asked Weston with a polite smile, “Mr. Ford, you should give me a reason, shouldn’t you? I’m having a good time with Miss Cicily.”“You’re the one who thinks she’s having
Stella smiled. It seemed like he had come prepared.Stella enjoyed chatting with the man. He was sincere and introduced himself properly as soon as they started chatting.The man was also a pianist and came from a scholarly family. Although not super wealthy, he was doing considerably well in the middle class. Stella would not need to worry about the quality of life with him, but that was about it. She certainly could not live a luxurious life.Stella had a good impression of him. She also talked to him a little more about piano music.Stella twirled her hair and smiled. She told him with a nice voice, “I’m sure Roger has already told you about my situation.”“I know.”The man looked at her gently and set the coffee in front of her. He said to her, “I’m very interested in you. I think we’re very suitable for each other. Our living standards nowadays have improved quite a bit. Not many look for a partner purely because of material qualities. People with emotional needs will search